77th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)
The 1973 VFL season was the 77th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 7 April until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.
The premiership was won by the Richmond Football Club for the eighth time, after it defeated Carlton by 30 points in the 1973 VFL Grand Final.
Background
One of the most significant innovations that came into force in 1973 was the implementation of a painted centre diamond area with 45-metre long sides, with a maximum of four players from each team permitted to stand within the diamond at centre bounces.[1] Following a long period of lobbying by the VFL to the Australian Football Council for its introduction, the centre diamond was initially subject to a 12-month trial period. The purpose of this innovation was to try and solve the problem of congestion at centre bounces, as well as giving skilled players more space to benefit their teams.[2]
The home-and-away season consisted of 22 rounds, with teams facing each other twice; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-away reverse" of matches 1 to 11. At the conclusion of the home-and-away fixtures, the 1973 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "McIntyre final five system".
Home-and-away season
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Round 22
|
|
|
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm)
|
Carlton 20.15 (135)
|
def.
|
St Kilda 13.9 (87)
|
Princes Park (crowd: 22,824)
|
Report
|
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm)
|
Essendon 16.6 (102)
|
def. by
|
Collingwood 17.10 (112)
|
Windy Hill (crowd: 28,049)
|
Report
|
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm)
|
Fitzroy 17.15 (117)
|
def.
|
Geelong 14.17 (101)
|
Junction Oval (crowd: 9,172)
|
Report
|
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm)
|
Richmond 10.16 (76)
|
def. by
|
Footscray 11.11 (77)
|
MCG (crowd: 24,671)
|
Report
|
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm)
|
Hawthorn 16.20 (116)
|
def.
|
South Melbourne 11.13 (79)
|
Glenferrie Oval (crowd: 9,932)
|
Report
|
Saturday, 1 September (2:10 pm)
|
North Melbourne 11.5 (71)
|
def.
|
Melbourne 9.12 (66)
|
VFL Park (crowd: 9,411)
|
Report
|
- Footscray ended its otherwise disappointing season on a high note with a third consecutive victory, this time the eventual premiers Richmond. After scores were level at three-quarter time, ruckman Gary Dempsey was moved to full-forward where he kicked two key goals. Former Carlton rover Adrian Gallagher (with 31 kicks) and Bernie Quinlan were outstanding for the Bulldogs, while Kevin Bartlett was by far the Tigers' best.[3]
- Hawthorn snapped its four-game losing streak and farewelled Glenferrie Oval in style with a hard-fought win over a plucky South Melbourne side. Leading by only five points at the main break, the Hawks kicked clear in the second half to win by 37 points. Leigh Matthews was easily best-on-ground with 36 touches and 3 goals, while Michael Moncrieff chimed in with six goals.
|
Ladder
(P) |
Premiers
|
|
Qualified for finals
|
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 95.5
Source: AFL Tables